Gluttony and Other Sins
by Cheeky Slytherin Lass
Summary: Parvati has done her duty and kept Lavender safe. As she heals, however, everything seems to change.::Angel!au


_Prompt of the Day: Wings!au_

 _Insane House Challenge: Angel_

 _Wheel of Fortune: Angel_

 _Word Count: 1158_

* * *

Parvati screams as the heavenly light burns through her skin, destroying the demon Fenrir in a great blaze. She shouldn't have used her powers. She has been on earth for far too long, and her strength is fading. That final burst is too much.

Her wings are battered and broken. Golden feathers fall to the ground at her feet.

Still, despite everything, the angel smiles. It doesn't matter that she has depleted her energy. Lavender is finally safe.

With that, she collapses and lets the world fade to black.

…

She can sense someone nearby. With a groan, Parvati opens her eyes, hating how sluggish her movements are.

Her wings flap pitifully behind her, waiting for the fatal strike. God knows she can't exactly fend off an attack.

But when the intruder finally comes into view, Parvati recognizes her immediately. Lavender Brown, the girl who has been pursued relentlessly by the lupine demon Fenrir stands before her, head tipped to the side curiously. "What are you?" she whispers, bright eyes wide as she studies Parvati.

Parvati offers her a weak smile. "How's your faith?" she asks, pulling herself up with a whimper.

Every part of her body hurts. She has been here too long, and she can no longer heal herself. Her only hope is to let her body heal slowly, like a human's, or hope one of the heavenly host happen upon her. This city, however, is a godless city that's been overrun by demons. The odds of another angel finding her aren't good.

Groaning, she slumps forward, and the world slips away again.

…

She is vaguely aware that she is no longer laying in grass in Lavender's yard, but she can't bring herself to open her eyes and take in her surroundings.

All Parvati knows is that she is warm, and it's the first time she's felt safe since leaving Heaven.

…

"Good. You're awake." Lavender enters the room, gripping a silver tray piled with strange golden brown circles. "I didn't know if you eat or not…"

"Eating is unnecessary," Parvati answers. "We can, but we must be careful, lest we give in to gluttony."

Lavender moves closer, her honey blonde curls bouncing with each step. "I'm glad you're awake," she says. "I don't know how many pancakes I wasted, hoping."

"How long have I slept?"

Parvati folds her wings forward, examining them. The fine, delicate bones have mended themselves, but there are still unsightly bald patches where her feathers have not yet grown back. Still, it's progress.

"Six days," Lavender answers. "So… You're an angel?"

Parvati nods her confirmation before plucking a little circle from the tray. She winces, realizing it's covered with something sticky.

"Syrup," Lavender explains with a soft laugh. "Try it. It's sweet."

Parvati nibbles cautiously. A moan escapes her lips, and she blushes, surprised suc she can make such a sound. "I don't need more," she decides.

"Why not?"

"Gluttony is a sin."

She doesn't know why Lavender laughs at that, but she loves the sound.

…

"I've seen you before," Lavender says.

It's been over a week, and Parvati is finally beginning to feel strong again. This is the first time she's been outside in a while, and the floral-perfumed breeze tickles her skin.

"I've always protected you," Parvati says.

"Why?"

"I don't know. It is not my job to ask questions, only to serve."

Lavender frowns and pauses, picking a gardenia from a nearby bush. She tucks the white blossom behind Parvati's ear. "That sounds like a tragic life," she says. "Is that actually what you want?"

"I don't have any wants."

But even as Parvati says it, she feels something stir within her, and she knows it isn't quite the truth.

…

"Try it," Lavender says. "It's the best chocolate cake in all of England."

"Gluttony."

Lavender pouts, waving the chocolate cake around. Parvati can smell it, and her mouth waters.

"Fine," the angel sighs. "One bite."

Parvati opens her mouth. Lavender tears off a piece and places it on Parvati's tongue. There's something so intimate about the moment that's almost as sweet as the cake.

"Well?" Lavender asks.

"You're going to be the reason I fall from grace, Lavender Brown. You and your culinary temptations."

…

"What happens when you're better?" Lavender asks as she and Parvati sit atop the roof, watching the night sky with Parvati's wings sheltering them like a blanket.

Parvati swallows dryly. Even if it's inevitable, she's tried not to think about it. She's stronger now, and it's only a matter of time before she has all her powers back. "I will have to return to Heaven."

"What's it like? Mum always told me it was a great field in the clouds, and—"

"I don't know what your Heaven is like. Angels are warriors, and we are kept separate."

"I won't see you there?" Lavender whispers.

Parvati shakes her head. She doesn't understand why her chest aches.

…

"I don't want you to leave," Lavender says when she and Parvati sit down to breakfast.

Parvati has long since given up on resisting gluttony. The food is too good, and she can't help but to indulge and enjoy the little pleasures.

"I have to."

Lavender is quiet as she takes a bite of her waffle. "Couldn't you stay?" she asks.

Parvati sips her orange juice, trying to ignore the strange feeling in her stomach, like it's being pulled and twisted. She shakes her head. "I would have to fall."

"What's the like?"

Parvati doesn't answer because she doesn't know, and she doesn't _want_ to know. It's such a taboo thing, a horrible punishment whispered about to keep fledglings in line.

And yet, she finds herself wondering.

"Thanks for breakfast," she says. "I'll do the washing up."

…

Parvati decides not to leave a note, not to even say goodbye. When Lavender is in a deep sleep, she presses a kiss to the mortal's forehead and tells herself it's just a coincidence that Lavender whispers her name.

…

"Where have you been?" Seamus demands, his wings outstretched in a show of annoyance. "Do you know how many of our own we've lost?"

"I smote Fenrir," Parvati says with a shrug.

Her superior softens slightly, nodding. "Excellent. Lavender Brown is safe," he says before summoning a scroll. "Your next assignment…"

Parvati shakes her head, trying to comprehend this. She had assumed she would be able to keep her human.

"Next?"

"Now that Lavender is secure, there's nothing left for you to do there," Seamus explains. "Let's see… Dean Thomas, twenty-five. He's—"

But Parvati is no longer listening.

Maybe she had been on earth for too long. Maybe she's allowed herself too many indulgences. Whatever the reason, she realizes she has wants and desires, and she will no longer be content to just serve.

"I will not," she says. "I choose to fall."

…

It hurts. She is burning, and she feels her grace being ripped from her insides. Her wings warp and deteriorate, growing into mangled wings that all fallen wear.

When she crashes, she smiles. She is free.


End file.
